(Reuters) - The singer said she was selling the painting, "Trois Femmes a la table rouge", to raise funds for girls' education projects in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries where female education is rare or non-existent.

The move comes as Madonna is in Malawi, southern Africa, home of her two adopted children, where her plans to build 10 schools have sparked controversy over costs and mismanagement and a project for a school for 400 girls collapsed last year.

Madonna, 54, said selling the 1921 painting, that she bought at auction in 1990, combines her passions for art and education by raising funds for the Ray of Light Foundation.

"I cannot accept a world where women or girls are wounded, shot or killed for either going to school or teaching in girls' schools. We don't have time to be complacent," Madonna said in a statement.